A toad and a boiled egg

  I bet the title of this helped you decide to read it. This is a simple story with no real purpose or meaning. Just a story about life, living, and loving.
  This last weekend didn't go at all according to the plans we had. Things began to change unexpectedly Friday evening. There has been snow and ice all week. School had been canceled until Thursday and it was delayed two hours the two days they did have it. I had to take my wife in to work and go pick her up afterwards. As I was going in to get her I saw my son-in-laws parents parked at the local emergency station. I went on up to get my wife and we came back to find out what was going on.
   To make a long story short the mother-in-law was sick enough to need some special attention. Nothing major, but still serious. Well we ended up with the grandchildren for the night. I wasn't planning for that, but I didn't mind it either. The night went pretty good until bedtime. That never goes well with grandchildren so even it wasn't too bad.
   In the middle of the night  or actually the wee hours of the morning a little blonde bug came squirming into our bed. The thunder snow and ice storm had apparently frightened her enough to bring her to us. We didn't mind having a little bug snuggle in between us... until that bug got warm. It seems that a queen sized bed doesn't have enough room for us and a little bug princess! It isn't very restful when you spend your time trying to stay on a bed and under the covers too!
   Thankfully the little princess slept well and was up with the sun, even if the clouds still had it hidden. After a little while we got up and went in to check on the pair. One was on the computer and one on the Ipad. Both of them were happy. I offered them pancakes, blueberry or chocolate chip, but had no takers. I later discovered that red velvet Oreo cookies make a perfect breakfast for hungry children when their grandparents are still asleep. My granddaughter decided to have lettuce for breakfast too. She had that and a glass full of shredded cheese. Now you ask what does all of this have to do with a toad and a boiled egg? Well it has everything to do with it and nothing at all to do with it.
   My wife was so tired she gave up and went back to bed, leaving me alone to deal with the grandchildren. I was tired, but I was in a comfy recliner and they were both happy. My grandson was still playing games and my granddaughter had started sweeping up the cheese that was now scattered over the floor. She likes to clean house. Well she tired of that and started trying to get Papa to wake up and play with her. She also noticed that Granny was gone. I told her the dog ate Granny, but she looked and the dog was outside, so she wouldn't buy that. She went in and informed Granny in a loud voice that the sun was up and it was time to get up. Granny ignored that lovely little bit of information.
  So she came back and started working on Papa again. She was poking at me with the broom to get my attention. I took it away from her and started poking back at her. She could easily get too far away from me to reach her, but she was cornered too. She couldn't get past my broom, especially not when her brother stuck his feet out behind the chair to block her path past him as he continued to play. I finally let her get past me and get the broom back. Then I grabbed it and we fought over it for a good while. Finally she stepped up close to me and with a determined look and a commanding tone of voice she raised one hand and pointed one finger at me with a magical wave and announced that she had turned me into a toad! I didn't even get to be a frog, so a kiss could save me. I was a toad!
   She yanked the broom away from the toad and mounted it to fly away. The toad asked her if she was flying in reverse since the broom was pointed the wrong way. She quickly corrected her broom and flew around the room for a moment. As she flew back into the living room she stopped for a moment and I saw an evil twinkle appear in her eyes. She had spotted her other antagonist still seated playing games on my computer. She quickly lowered her broom and with deadly precision flew it right into his exposed rear! The toad could only watch and laugh! luckily my daughter finally arrived to rescue us. I thought everything was safe and secure in my home once more. We laughed a lot about the toad that night.
   But you ask what about the boiled egg? Well the story goes on. Sunday morning I got up still exhausted and feeling much like a toad. I went into the kitchen and started to make my breakfast. I was making an omelet with sausage, onions, and shredded cheese. I started the sausage and onions cooking and then I tried to add the critical part to any omelet the eggs. I wasn't awake or functioning well yet. After three attempts, each more determined than the last, I discovered that you can't crack or scramble a boiled egg!
  Now while I would never attempt to scramble a boiled egg under normal circumstances, this morning was anything but normal. I mean seriously how many toads do you know that want an omelet for breakfast? Once I discovered the first boiled egg I wasn't so easily fooled by the second one in my box of fresh eggs. I did find two normal fresh eggs and I had my omelet. I was still rather rattled though. I did manage to figure out that a certain little witch had probably seen the boiled eggs I had sitting in the frig ready to use in a salad and decided to put them back in the egg box. Eggs do belong in the egg box after all! Especially when you are a little blonde witch who is OCD and a cleaning nut too!
  And now you have heard the tale of a toad and a boiled egg. This toad advises you to avoid trying to have scrambled eggs for a meal too soon after a witch has turned you into a toad. Have a cup of coffee first and make sure you  are ready to hop out and face the world before you end up with egg on your face. Rib-it, Rib-it says the toad!

Faith and prayers

These last few months I haven't been doing enough. I have been struggling to just get up and start the new day in the mornings. That has to change if I want to change my life. I need to lose weight and to change my attitude. I know that I can do the diets, I have done it before and I did feel better. My attitude is a little tougher to deal with. I just let myself become very discouraged because of other things in my life that I couldn't change or control. I am going to be praying and working to remind myself that I am not responsible for anything or anyone beyond my own control. All I can do is live my life the best way I can and live it to please God. Beyond that I can do little to change the world around me.

   It is very easy to let the world around you affect the person inside you. That always happens, but it isn't too bad, if you remember that God is the only one that matters in the end. If we please God then the world doesn't matter and if we don't please God the world won't matter in the end. I seem to forget that too often for my own good. I am still struggling to find the words to pray, but I am trying to make myself open my heart up and pray from it to the Lord. There are so many things in the world that bother me and so many things in my own life that trouble me even more. I don't know where to start or what to say. I feel like I am whining when I should be doing, but I don't know what or how to do what needs to be done. I don't even know what to ask for; much less what to do!

   I just know that the Lord is trying to reach me. He has the answers I need even if I don't know the questions yet. I am trying very hard to listen and truly understand, but that isn't easy to do when you feel lost and alone. I know I am not alone and never truly will be, but it sure feels lonely around here sometimes. Prayer is the first step and the first answer for me. I know that I must pray and from the heart before I can take another step or find more answers. I just don't know how to pray for something I don't even understand. I guess that is where I have to depend on the other answer I have for all of my questions... faith. Faith that God has the answers waiting for me when I am ready to hear them.